@Hackangel

that's how I felt. It seemed to label groups of people with blanket characteristics... in an overly generalized way.

I re-read the post though, and my second take on it is that when studying their group of game players, the sub-group which demonstrated signs of being 'addicted' to games, demonstrated Asperger's like symptoms.

If you present the data from another angle (one that would be less likely to irritate gamers) you could say:

the closer your mental state is to someone with Asperger (non-empathic, confrontational, objectionable, systemising, etc.), the more likely you are to become addicted to video games. The less Asperger's like you are, the less you could be addicted.

It would be interesting to tie that into a study of all addiction. At the very least it would be refreshing to see the point of the arguement (at least in the USA) change. I'd rather it be:

"Retard + Play games = Addict + social danger"

than:

"Play Games = Addict + Retard = social danger"

(sorry to all the retards out there. Especially those in the UK's parliament)

"And that people such as engineers, mathematicians and computer scientists are nearer to the non-empathising, systemising, end of the spectrum,"

I wouldn't make fun of those people if I were you. They'll cut the brakes on your car, develop a formula to solve how stupid you are, then load your PC up with child pornography.

Theyre just pointing out something thats a big "no shit" to almost all of us. WEre all nerds here right? Asbergers ius typically what nerds suffer from. I was just saying the well deserved "no shit".

You know... I wouldn't doubt that for a minute.

Heh, I always thought that many MMO-players had self-diagnosed Aspergers anyway.

Which brings up a point any psychologist learns in his psych 101 class, correlation does not prove causation. Are autistic people more likely to game, or are gamers more likely to develop autism?

Hackangel,

Heavy video game play =|= addiction. And addiction is clasified as such if and only if a person's life is detrimentally effected by it. Being that you are a sociable person, I doubt you have any signs of either Asperger's or video game addiction.

Hmm... This study will also be presented (according to the UK Telegraph) in the British Psychological Society annual conference (see the gamepolitics news on April 2 for another study). I wonder if there are more video game research to be presented at the annual conference (tried looking for more, but found nothing)

Even though videogame addiction isn't classifiable as a disease by the AMA, psychologists are used to applying therapy for addictions and obsessions for videogames, internet use, cell phone dependency, etc. This appears to be a "middle ground" issue that should not be alarming nor written-off as a non-issue.

As for AS being considered mental retardation, consider that people with AS are often highly intelligent and motivated which can be considered an advantage. The only problem with the article is that it is almost impossible to spot an AS person if you are not specifically trained in psychology.

Oh, snap. First, they told me that I was being trained to become a murderer. Now they tell me that I'm autistic. I'm like Jason Bourne, with a helmet and kneepads.

I'm fine with the "findings" of this study, so long as I get to park in the handicapped spot now.

Pretty interesting and it could well be true but the scale they're talking about sounds a bit arbitrary.

@Talouin: I disagree. Gambling can be a real addiction without a physical component. In my opionion anything that can provide some kinds of stimuli can grow into an addiction. People are addicted to the weirdest things..

This article is stupid as a parent of asperger's syndrome I am very discussed with it. So the whole belief is that anyone who has any interest in video games that they are pre-autistic. Crap!!!!!!!!!! these children have difficulty with socialization. They are very intelligent. There are no two children the same. They are very individual. Some are visual which makes them good at video games and working on computers. Some are auditory which makes them able to recall things they are taught. Over and over idiots come up with stupid theories. First off Asperger's was not an acceptible diagnossis in the U.S. until recently My son was diagnosis long before it was in vogue. Now every child that has been diagnosised with ADD or ADHD is being rediagnosed as ashberger's. If it was not for a pariod society trying to find some stupid answer to why children shoot up schools or why they act out we would have nothing to report. Look at society today. Both parents work to survive their children are left on their own with no supervision and in some cases children are just ignored. our society has only itsef to blame for what is happening. Passing the buck and saying it's something else that is the problem is immature and stupid. "Billy leave me alone I'M busy" or what ever . When you have children be them diagnosised with a terminal desease or have a learning disability or are "normal" according to society you are responsible to help them grow into a productive human being. Otherwise don't have children. Printing this article is very unprofessional and stupid. Try to investigate what you are writing before printing it. Doctors are not gods they have no clue as to the cause or the reasons why children are afflicted with this. Now they are saying that children who have asperger's are addicted to video games give me a break. These children have more understanding of their disabilities than most. They are more accepting to people than the normal people. they are not prejudice They just want to be acceptred for who they are. They have a greater capacity to love others than normal people. They asked the questions, "Why do people hate one another?" Give me a brteak from stupid articles and show some responsibility.

@Adaptor
That is an interesting point. I would have to read more about gambling addiction as I don't know a lot about the causes and triggers of it. The large problem I have with "video game addiction" is the fact that, barring MMO's, most games are designed with a determinable end to them. Think about all of the video games that you own that you haven't played in a long time. I draw a parallel again to books. By the same logic am I addicted to reading? Also by that logic, am I addicted to education? I have willfully participated in and enjoyed education since I was old enough to understand and make the decision for myself about getting more of it.

I have Aspergers aswell...

And I would say that Aspies are more likely to game than gaming leading to Aspie traits.

Gaming provides a comfortable outlet, in a world where an Aspie may feel as though they have no control over their life and surroundings they can easily become immersed in the game world where they can pretty much do what they like and be in full control

3% showed signs of addiction.
that was the quote I read, including such signs as missing meals and sleep to game.

considering the percentage of people that are addicted to 'something' ie: Alcohol, ciggies, those awful 'Soaps' on TV, of course some people are addicted to gaming.
the question is, do you do something for the 3% that doesn't include ruining it for the 97%.
Stop playing to the lowest denominator for crying out loud.

As much as I believe that Asperger's is a bullcrap syndrom made up to explain "anti-socialness", the video game link makes sense. Aspergers are supposed to be anti-social, and have no people skills. Therefore, a mechanical companion would make sense.

Using "addiction" was poor choice of word though. They're no more addicted, than social people are "addicted" to their friends.

Just about everyone I know under the age of 40 plays video games. However, the only ones (three of em) I have ever known to be "addicted" to games all had some degree of Asbergers (two were formally diagnosed).

One in particular hasn't worked in over two years, but has spent almost every day playing GTA San Andreas. He knows the entire game like the back of his hand, and even falls asleep every night watching replays of his games (through VCR).

there are verying degrees of aspergers so those study are they mild, moderate or severe. they don't tell you because it will mess up there study.

That is because today teachers don't want to teach they want to be your friend. I have another son who does not have asperger's and he gets discussed because a large of the students in class continue to disrupt class and teacher does nothing to stop it then when they have a test the teacher goes around and gives them the answers rather than sink or swim. this is what our country has to look forward in the future.

*headdesk* of course there is going to be a link.

video games provide a wonderful outlet for aspies. So many people with aspergers have such a difficult time interacting with the world already, having an interactive activity that doesn't have social stress to it is a real boon.

i have aspergers and i play a lot of games... wheres that leave me?

i still have a social life, granted mostly online, but that hasn't stopped me from finding a loving GF, or surviving 4 years military service....

and my diagnosis came a little late in life, so i never got the proper "treatment" to counteract a lot of the problems it throws at ya (i'm still rather anti-social, but not as bad as i was thanks to self training)

@ Ebonheart
i had the same issue, cept they did give me the drugs and i still asked questions and slept (slept my entire 11th grade year away and still passed clean! My teachers thought i learned through osmosis, cause i could wakeup in a snap and correct them when they were teaching BS things or trying to trick someone)
i was actually kicked out of a couple of schools (a total of 5 iirc) because of my "disagreements" with some of my teachers too.
Teachers really hate having a student whos smarter than they are, and rather than follows the mindless gibbering they (the teachers) spout off, actually questions things and WANTS to learn more (i went so far as to jack one of my teachers college earth science books.... got busted studying it at home so my parents returned it lol)
I actually was told in some classes to stop reading ahead, and to "stay with the class"

whats worse, is all that being forced to "slow down" has screwed me up now, as i can't study for jack anymore and i feel like i've been beaten with the idiot stick and handed in my i.d.10.T forms for processing.
i can't stand to learn things "by the book" any longer due to bad memories of trying to do so before so my brain dumps the info faster than i can read it.

I mean *NOT AUTISTIC... you guys need an edit system

no one knows. When my son was diagnosed at age 5 There were no sights or information . I do know that the sooner a child is diagnosed they can be taught what they lack and function as anyone else. they some times need speech therapy, socialization classes and even counsilling. But there is no true treatment because their are over 40 traits and most only have 4 or 10 traits. As i said no two are the same. It is a pervasive disorder not a desease. And as far as I know not hereditary

Last time I checked, you could be addicted to also anything.

Last time I checked, to be classified as addiction, it must have negative effect on your life such as temporary acts of violence, direct health problems, losing jobs, suffers from withdrawal if not playing video games for a while, etc. I personally know no one who is a video game addict.

Last time I checked, you can not diagnose autism.

The story isn't saying that everyone that plays games a lot have Aspergers, or even that they are addicts. Obviously, if you play games a lot but still lead a normal and healthy life, then you're not an addict. This article wasn't about you.

Video game addiction is real, though, even if some people aren't ready to admit it. If you miss work constantly, or miss frequent meals and don't sleep until you're completely exhausted. IF you abandon real life friends and family. And just stop doing anything other than game. Then yeah, you have an addiction. And we've seen it before, like those Asian guys who died of blood clots after playing online games for 28 hours straight in internet cafes. The medical examiners said that one guy was malnurished, dehydrated, and had an overfull bladder. He literally played himself to death!

As my brother has Asperger's and I am a student of psychology, I kind of feel the need to chime in here. First of all one thing they've got wrong is that a lack of extroversion is a quality of Asperger's. In fact extroversion is one of the main criteria that most psychologists use to distinguish Asperger's from conventional autism, even though the official diagnostic criteria only concern themselves with the difference in language delay and imaginative play.

The full range of Autism Spectrum disorders are developmental disabilities and almost certainly genetic to some degree. However, it appears a wide array of genes contribute to the disorders so it makes sense for there to be people who inherit some of the traits but not others. These people would likely have mild to moderate difficulties with empathy and understanding what other people are thinking and might prefer video games to interacting with other people. Most importantly people with Asperger's seem to love predictability, which video games are much more so than people.

Regardless of all of that, they may be drawing too large a conclusion. While people who are just shy of formal diagnosis of autism or Asperger's
may be very likely to be video game addicts, to expand that to video game addicts as a whole seems to be overreaching.

addiction is addiction. picking on a group to make a point is wrong. Asperger's suffer from obsession that can be controlled. but again find an easy answer instead of trying to find out the true reason. Children learn as they grow if they only have the stimulation of video gaMES THEN THEY CAN DEVELOP AN ADDICTION JUST LIKE GAMBLERS, ALCOHALICS, DRUG ADDICTS ETC..

A gamer chooses to game. A heroine addict chooses to use heroine. At the end of the day the heroine addict no longer chooses to use heroine, he needs it. A video gamer STILL CHOOSES TO PLAY GAMES.

Gambling isn't an addiction either IMO, it's a habit and a choice. I know the American Medical Association has a specific definition for addiction but IMO someone who gambles their money away is looking for the nearest scapegoat to get out of the trouble they're in... "I'm addicted to gambling. It's not me it's my mind!"

I rather thought that this article rang true. I think gaming does appeal to a part of us in a way that it doesn't to others with different personality types. Can you imagine doing anything else with the same feeling of satisfaction that you do with the same intensity of gaming? Gamers were not labelled as Aspergers sufferers, just as people who are nearer to the Aspergus end of the spectrum than most.

Of course, there are those who think that just being male marks us out as tending-to-Aspergers syndrome. :rollseyes: And as 86% of the people in the research were male, that makes the tendency even more marked.

@ Jeremy Male autistics are much more common than female autistics, so it's reasonable to assume that the individual autistic traits might be more common in males in general. However, besides genetics, autism may be more common in males due to females forming more supportive social networks earlier.

You know we blame some desease or disorder for problems of the world and maybe there is some indications. but as a parent of a child with asperger's sydrome I want you to know how proud I am of him. I have had good and bad years ranginging from adolecense to toddler. As a nurse I lost that sympathetic edge over the years but working with my son seeing how sometimes things are a stuggle for him and seeing how he views the world I have leartned from him. Having him I would never change a thing of my life. He has taught me a lot he has openned my eyes to many things I forgot and to condem someone for a disability of disorder is wrong If playing video games helps him to develop socialization or to give him some comfort when the world gets to hard he like everyone else has that right. He achkwoledges his disorder and tries to adjust. He is aware that he can become obsessed and tries to correct it the articule pretty much makes onlya new vogue to get people anxious. These children have potential if people cared.

I have aspergers and I enjoy games. But I guess I'm lucky that I'm not addicted. I was when I was young but I grew out of it. I think this is a load of crap but I could be wrong.

@ Are'el

THeres also a mental disorder thats charactorized by the inability for someone to distigush reality from fiction, I'm sure thats the case with those people.

@ebonheart what do you mean by that

I have asperger myself. I only knew it when I was 13. I'm REALLY into gaming, but strangely, I play less than most of my friends.

@GrimCV and others

Glad to know I'm not the only one here. Strangely, I wasn't given any medication. I somehow got over most of my problems on my own (and with some help from my parents and the school psychologist).

@JustChris

Asperger is quite complex. I, myself, got a diagnostic that confirmed I had it (so I have a medical document). And I can assure you, being an asperger doesn't necessarily means that you're anti-social. It often means that you have trouble expressing yourself (I was before, but I got better). As for how you get it, no one really knows how you get it. Some says it's hereditary (not my case since both my parents doesn't have asperger) and some says it could come from an hard birth (due to a lack of oxygen to the right side of the brain (emotions side). But remember that Asperger was only recently discovered (the first case was in 1945 and it was only officially recognized in 1995), so there's still a lot to learn about it.

I agree with pierre there is no history of aspergers or autism in my family or my husbands

Oh great, now we supposedly have a disease which is pronounced "Ass-Burgers" syndrome.

years ago there was a Psychologist that wrote about asperger's stating that any child diagnosed with it should be looked up because they would be a mence to society. the joke was people believed the idiot.

@ Bill

Hey Bill, learn to pronouce.

@ Mary

Reminds me of the Hydrogen-dioxicide reports.

@ Bill

You could just say "Learn to spell." or "Use less typos." Both work equally as well. But then again this is the "int3rw3z y0!"

Or I could do it the way I did it to match the way you responded to me.

Fuck's sake. Dennis uses a little levity by posting a "wacky" scientist photo with the piece, no one says anything. I use a pun for levity and I'm told to grow up and learn to pronounce. If you didn't think it was funny, fine. If you want to be an prick, fine, though I'll be one as well.

Mary, I wan't making light of the actual disease, I just found the name funny.

Bill I understand and accept my apologies.

@ Bill

I owe you an appology as well, I just wanted the chance to ague a bit. Mixed with a little trolling,

I'm surprised how upset people are with this. My brother is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrone / High-Functioning Autism and he's always been able to relate better with me, as a gamer, than with the rest of my family. As a gamer, I tend to think very logically rather than emotionally *and*, since Asperger's tends to be defined by someone's logical lean and inability to relate to others, I can usually talk to my brother or explain things to him when my father/mother can't.

It seems to me that the message of the study is simply that the people that game can relate to a systematic type of relationship more easily than an emotional one. I don't think anything up there says, "Gamers are autistic." Yes, it does say gamers are less social, but those of you that argue about what a social butterfly you are -- you're probably the exception: Have you ever been on XBox Live? I think "lack of . . . agreeableness" is putting it mildly.

@ Bill

Thats a made up word from the halls ofthe internet short for "I typo way to much"

Yep, loved the city so much I took the name. And your the first person to notice that actually.

@ Davcube

Nah, he'll aim it at Wendy's like he did last time.

I almost believe that EVERY kid I see nowadays is obsessed with games, the parents that think their kids have some kind of disorder are just too old to understand gaming. Every kid I meet is extremely excited to talk about gaming, and you can talk about almost any game with any kid. Here is a revelation for you, EVERY kid plays video games, yes every one, at least here, whether it be at a friends house or their own. This is not some thing that only 3 kids out of 100 do, go over to any house with kids and you will find video games, offer to play with them and you will get extreme enthusiasm. Video games are also not new technology they have been around since the 1960's, and no they are not some weird hobby your kids engage in. Its not weird, unusual or aspergers, its just the way kids are. Kids are naturally drawn to technology from what I have seen, while parents resist it and try to keep it out of the house because they are told its "bad" for their kids. If parents just took a little time to relate to their kids, instead of automatically assuming that everything technological that the kids want to do is going to make their minds rot and make them stupid, lazy and fat then we would all be better off. Parents need to step up if they have kids, if you aren't willing to become technologically informed then don't have kids, simple as that. Your kids that you didn't have will thank you. It amazes me the parents that don't even know how to use the internet, nor know what it is, or that refuse to use it because its some alien concept they don't understand and are completely unwilling to learn. Or the parents that keep their kids away from video games, television and the internet because Oprah says its bad (don't believe everything you hear people!) If you have kids you have to be willing to get down to their level, and learn from them as well as have them learn from you and you have to be willing to learn about new things that you might not be so familiar with.

Kids find school boring, sometimes because their teachers are mean and repeat useless info many times and also because they are often too smart for the class and are corrected as others say for being too smart. I have seen this even in my college classes, there were people in my classes that surpassed the professors knowledge by more than a lot to say the least. They would also try to correct the professor and most of the time he was so alarmed that he would just take the correction and go on with the lesson. Just because a kid can't sit still in class when they are forced to sit at a desk all day and already knows everything that they are being taught and likes to play video games does not mean they have aspergers.

When kids are raised on the Nintendo Wii for example teaching methods and schools are going to be seen as archaic. It does not help that most teachers are against playing video games, simply because they do not understand games and don't take the time to either, so they automatically subscribe to the belief that video games are "bad" for kids, as do many parents. Schools need to get down to the kids level and step up the technology level to match what they have in the house and put that technology to use in teaching kids their lessons, then kids will be able to learn better, have fun learning, and want to go to school because school will be exciting and fun. Teachers need to innovate along with the kids, they should be playing video games and learning about what other activities kids like to do so they can understand children better and relate to them more, instead of constantly saying "I don't understand these kids". Reading definitely has value but no kid wants to be forced to sit at a desk and read a boring textbook all day long with maybe a 30 min rushed break for lunch or to have to sit and take notes the entire day.

Well, I dunno how accurate this thing is, but I like video games. Not extraordinarily so (I read more than I game), but I do. Was rather addicted to EQ at one point. And my psychologist recently has been strongly hinting to me that I have aspergers. So yeah

I have one child that has been diagnosed with autisum and an older one that has somewhat the same traites. Both are very good with video gaming. I don't necessarily agree that there is a tie here but video gaming has a very calming effect on children in the autisum spectrum. It keeps their attention more so than normal play. Those of you who have no idea of what the autisum sprectrum is need to get informed. There is a lot to this that you may know of.

Considering the stereotype that is so blithely thrown around a a 'Video Gamer' (as exampled by the Times column highlighted today), it's hardly surprising they end up preferring their own company to anyone else's.

These crap studies are the very definition of retarded. That is all I have to say.

One thing this "researcher" forgot to take into consideration, a video game addict makes a choice to withdraw from social situations. Aspies can't make this same choice. They are truly victims of their circumstances. Ask anyone who suffers from Asperger's to choose between the loneliness of isolation and true social acceptance and they would choose social acceptance EVERY TIME! This sounds like another case of "Crack Pot" science.

The proud parent of an Aspie teen gamer.

I seriously can't believe how ignorantly you all portray yourselves. I typically love the comments left on GP, but in this case, 90% of you sound completely... well, stupid. I'll have to quote this from the article:

"The researchers believe that video game addicts can not be classified as having Aspergers syndrome, but do share characteristics because they find it easier to empathise with computer systems than other people."

The article does *NOT* say that there is any corrolation between being a gamer and having autism, nor does it say being a gamer will give you autism/Asperger's. Did any of you even read the article? I mean, really, how many of you don't find it easier to understand computers versus people?

@Kim Albrecht

O.o Um, I have made that choice personally.

I have had a mild case of autism when I was young, but it was before I ever played on my cousin's NES when I was 4.

Isn't Aspergers on the Autistic spectrum? And don't Austism and related diseases manifest in most sufferers as toddlers? How many of you played video games as toddlers? Did you even have access to them? Did Pong exist yet when you were a toddler?

And so... Wouldn't Aspergers link to video game addition be more likely to be a *cause* than an effect? Recognising of course that correllation and causation are two different things....

Damn me and my silly science.

Oh, come on, people! I was born with Asperger's Syndrome. I had it long before I was into video games. Really! The depths critics will sink to just because they couldn't understand how to play *insert name of popular game here* and lost. Honestly, I think I'm going to have a chat with my lawyer over this use of Asperger's. Just because people with Asperger's Syndrome are different doesn't mean that one can just associate them with uninformed, biased reports only meant to insult certain groups.

I was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome about 6 years ago, and I have yet to hear either a clear explanation of what it is, or to hear two psychologists agree on what it is. Some say it's a personality-type, others say it's Autism-lite. If you try to look up what characterizes it, you'll see a lot of sentences like, "AS is characterized by a severe deficiency in X, or the subject may show a talent for X. AS can also be characterized by a severe deficiency in Y, though the subject may also show a talent for Y." So what the hell is it?

Some of the posts above claim that some are diagnosing them selves with AS and then using it as an excuse to be jackasses; I actually have been diagnosed with it and I strongly question it's very existence. I'll tell you one thing, I certainly do not consider myself handicapped or disabled in any way, and I find it very insulting when people (like the U.S. Congress) say that the way I think is wrong and I therefore am in need of a cure for my "mental disorder."

(Sorry if my tone was a little harsh, but this is a touchy subject for me. Could you tell? ;-))

@Scottland89
I was diagnosed with Aspergers 10 years ago, and your right the symptoms do very but the main ones are social problems and a high talent in a highly focused area, both of which tend to dissipate over time as one learns to overcome them. I'm not saying that we can't be outgoing, I just saying it usually requires more effort for. I was mostly just upset with some of the other posters assumption that since Aspergers syndrome is a form of Autism, it automatically makes the people who suffer from it Retarded or stupid (which unfortunately is what many people consider Autistics to be). When in reality it is more likely that you will meet one of them and not even suspect they have said problem, mostly because people with Aspergers Syndrome have a tendency to be highly intelligent and very interesting once you get to know them.

@ Omega Warrior Asperger's really seems to be the same as high functioning autism, except that Asperger's actually express interest in socializing but tend to have problems doing so, whereas autistics will often have little to no interest in other people.

Technically the criteria is that people with Asperger's do not have a clinically significant language delay and have a normal level of imaginative play. Psychologists do not diagnose it this way generally though. My brother, despite his Asperger's diagnosis did not learn to talk until the age of 3, although that may be just shy of a clinically significant delay. Incidentally, his diagnosis bounced around all over the place for the first 16 or so years of his life between Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Autism, and Asperger's. Really most psychologists tend to use their judgment for defining the disorder rather than the DSM's definition. This leads to a great deal of variation.

ITS CALLED BEING A NERD!

I don't get the anger here.

No-one said gaming turned you into an Aspergers sufferer.
No-one said that gamers are Aspergers sufferers.

The study just found that the average gamer was closer to the Aspergers side of the spectrum than the average member of the general public, which as has been pointed out, you would expect from speaking to an 86% male audience anyway.

(And to those who would take offence at calling someone, or being called, an Aspergers sufferer, get over yourself. Don't be proud of having Aspergers. Don't be ashamed of having Aspergers. Just be.)

I honestly have no clue as to what to make of this test.

For one, it's not biased towards video games. It's merely saying that the ADDICTS show signs of having Asperger's Syndrome.

And then, there's the ignorant majority of people. Sadly, this ignorant majority will probably mistake Asperger's Syndrome with something far worse (just like they confuse agressive behavior with violent behavior).

Honestly, Asperger's Syndrome isn't so bad. I happen to have first hand experience of it.

Strangely, I often feel thankful for being born with it. Perhaps it's because of the fact that I'm not as ignorant as a lot of people these days who are far older than this 14 year old.

This is relevant to me, since I am somewhat anti-social unless I know the person I am talking to somewhat well, and last semester my computer science teacher thought that I might be mentally impaired. I am THE person that these people should study for proof of gaming addiction. Also, I read a report that said the 60 or 65% of people with autism are left-handed. Guess which hand I use?

I like how 86% were male. So, let's not factor in us females who play, when, from what I've heard, males over 20 only make up 20-25% of the gaming population...

So how old were they? I assume younger gamers might show these symptoms. I dunno, seems like a really fucked up study.

@Fourstep Coco

Guess the one who did that research wanted another link to the Asperger Syndrome since it's known to affect one female for four male, and it usually affects (whe I last checked) 1 child out of 26000. So, girls with the Asperger syndrome are quite rare.

Age doesn't matter. And I'm pretty sure this study isn't much good. One of my best friend is had Asperger syndrome, is two years older than I am and he shows more symptoms than I. It's about how much help you get and how much effort you put in.

And strangely, I saw kids without the syndrome playing A LOT more (I heard about one playing HALO on a laptop in the bus (BAD IDEA)) and in a lot more compulsive way than mine (and I have it and gaming is one of my big interest).

@Graham

I don't think they said that being an addict gamer is like having Asperger. But in my opinion, they just don't know what Asperger is really (it's still quite recent).

Okay who here has Asperger's Syndrome, raise your hand?

*Raises hand*

While I wait for a response, and BOY what a response it shall be, I will wait for you all to comment and respond.

And Dennis, I want in on this one. For me, this is PERSONAL!

~Otaku-Man

WOW>LIFE